[BtI] Date 2, Turn 3 (Active Player=Rich)

Rich

OOC: We start with 4 Attraction this turn. We have 3 Compatibilities: "At home on the water", "Patience and Honesty" and "We love new gadgets and stuff".

Rich

I've piloted us to one of the docks here at Bulls Island. They are smaller, but I'm able to get the Ceto up alongside one quite easily. I directed you to help me moor her, and I dropped anchor.

Since we already ate, I say with a hopeful look, "Want to go for a walk, Alani? There are some great sights here."

WPTunes

We work together easily to tie up the Ceto, and I love watching you while we do. My emotional moment from earlier has cleared my head like an afternoon shower clears the the sky, and I feel buoyant being here with you.

"Captain, I did not travel all this way across the boundless waters just to stay on the boat. I would love to take a walk. I even wore practical shoes."

This is a lovely spot to be in with a lovely woman. Take your attraction dice.

Rich

I grin when you call me "captain". I won't lie, it's a thrill. I reach for your hand and help you onto the dock, and I don't let go when I hop over to join you. We walk down the dock together and I say, "You may not need them the whole time....the shoes, I mean."

We hop off the dock and take an immediate left before we hit the treeline. It's a sand and silt beach here, so I walk easy and I've got you on my right so you're looking out across the water when you look at me.

I said I'm a planner.

"What plays are you working on now? What's the hardest costume?" That was questions 3 and 3a. I'm proud of them.

WPTunes

Definitely a bonus die for questions 3 and (in particular) 3a.

"Well, you saw the drawing for the Santa Fe Turandot... it's going to be the hardest to build of anything I have in the pipeline currently, but the shop at Santa Fe is topnotch, and they'll help me figure it out. I'm working on ideas for a new production of Guys and Dolls which is gonna be super fun, but it's kind of a rush. It's a co-production shared by four midsize regional theaters that'll go into rental after, cast of thousands and everything needs to be built to alter, since they'll be worn by a lot of different folks." Yeah, it's not hard to get me to talk about work.

Do I tell you this? Yeah. In for a penny... "I'm also doing costumes for a new burlesque troupe down in Florida. Jacksonville. They're pretty... fun." I swing your hand "innocently." "I've never worked in latex before."

Rich

I nod when you mention Turnadot, that was such a brilliant costume. "You're so creative. I've never been around anyone who actually makes clothes, Alani. I took one sewing class in high school, but my friend Raquel talked me out of it." I look over at you, frown a little. "It was stupid. She gave me some diatribe about women's work and a bunch of bullshit. I had a crush on her, and pretty much did whatever she said for about a year."

After a moment, I realize you might ask how that worked out, so I add, "It didn't work out. She didn't "like me" like me. She's married now, three kids." I see the look in your eyes, and I squeeze your hand, changing the subject, "Burlesque? That sounds sexy. How do you like, ah working in latex?" Oh yeah, I went there. hah. I want to see you squirm.

WPTunes

And I do squirm. That's a Bonus die for seeing my burlesque and raising it.

"Umm." What to say... "Hot? I mean, I imagine literally hot, for the girls, but..." Is this okay? "Let's just say... I went down for the preliminary fittings, and... well, yeah, it's sexy." My complexion makes it hard to tell, but I'm definitely blushing. "Umm. I'm glad I have rechargeable batteries."

Rich

"Batteries?" I smile. I got you, you naughty girl. I laugh a little laugh that isn't accusatory. "What's the most scandalous thing you've done, Alani?"

That one was scratched off my list. But here I am asking it. I worry I'm taking it too far, but I'm so interested.

WPTunes

So, you get it. With the batteries. That's a relief.

I think about your question. "Aside from having a child out of wedlock at seventeen? Umm... really nothing. That's the high point of my scandal. You?"

Rich

Well, shit. Now I remember why I scratched that one out. "Well, Min, what if she asked you back?" Damn holding hands and wine making me careless.

Thoughts swirl in my head and my mouth tightens a little. I swallow, looking over at you. I really, really don't want to ruin this moment we're sharing. I also don't want to scare you away.

"Well," I start, my tone a little hesitant. "There's the whole closet lesbian thing. That's a biggie." I pause, mouth frozen for a few moments, trying to read your expression. Alani, I really like you. You can probably tell there's more. I'm an open book to you, it seems.

My mouth quirks a little, and I frown. We're almost to the big beach. I hear people up ahead. Sure, it's an excuse. I take it though. I turn my head, looking down the shore.

"Ever heard of Boneyard Beach?" I ask suddenly.

WPTunes

Well, that little attempt at misdirection is cute but ineffective. "Of course I have! Heard of Boneyard Beach. Every 'Charleston is awesome' coffee-shop has prints of sunrise at Boneyard Beach. Never seen it with my own eyes, though." There's a second or two pause, pregnant with meaning. "So, your real scandal?"

Rich

"It's just around the corner..." I start, hoping that we've moved on. Then you ask about the real scandal, and I inwardly curse myself.

I slow down, then stop, feet in the silt beach, water lapping at the nearby shore. I look at you, so open and curious. Sigh audibly, probably a little loud with drama, especially for me.

I pull my hand back, scratch at my forearm like it was itchy, but really, I just can't bear the thought of you pulling away. "Patience and honesty, right?" I break eye contact, looking at the hint of the Boneyard Beach shore around the bend. We were so close!

Confession time.

"After college, I landed this great job with OXM." I glance up, see the confusion as I dropped some jargon, "Official XBox Magazine. They had a huge circulation back then, it was a big deal. I reviewed games, most of it was glowing, you know? The mag was pretty much a house organ for Microsoft and the XBox was going strong. So I traveled all over." I point around, like I'm demonstrating my point, "West Coast devs, up to Canada sometimes for Bioware, even trips to Ubisoft's offices. It was pretty exciting. I was just this kid then, you know?"

I look away again, not meeting your eyes because here it comes. "So I'd had a few girlfriends in college, nothing too serious, just hand-holding type stuff. I'd had one weird hookup with a cute sorority girl who swore she was just drunk, even tried to say I took advantage of her. It was... pretty awful." I shrug, "It went away, mostly because my dad's lawyer threatened to bring out the whole thing, found out she'd been with a few girls. My parents probably figured out that I was, you know... they didn't tell my brothers. They didn't ask me about it, not once. I felt shunned, Alani."

And deeper we go, "Then I graduate, get this awesome job and I'm flying all over the county, all on my own. And I've got an expense account. And I don't have my brothers, or my family to worry about. So, I started going to gay bars. Every night. And..." Now I'm really sinking. Not crying, not emotional aside from worry, "I hooked up with, uhm, a bunch of different girls. Like, I went pretty crazy. I ended up, uhm, getting fired from that job. They said I didn't represent the company well, since I ended up mentioned on ValleyWag and a few MySpace posts and pics. There was some slut-shaming, and I just needed to "go away". I was a black eye to the magazine and an embarrassment to Microsoft." The end there had a bit of a bitter tone, I know. I can't hold it in very well. It still stings, how it went down.

WPTunes

So, we're what, 20 yards from being in the middle of people at Boneyard Beach? I hear them up ahead, just around the bend in the coastline. Min, I don't have words for once. I just don't. I pivot, pulling you to face me and pull you into a hug, fierce and protective. I see terns and pelicans and gulls past your shoulder, but they don't matter. "Min," I whisper in your ear, "I'm here."

Please take a Bonus die for the honesty. That means a roll, I think.

Rich

Attraction: (Rolled: 4d6. Rolls: 3, 5, 4, 2. Total: 14)
Bonus Dice: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 6, 6, 1. Total: 13)

Rich

My shoulders visibly relax. Your understanding means so much, Alani. You see that, right? I offer you a thankful smile

Let's increase Attraction to 5. For reasons.